Over 24 killed in tribal violence in Western Darfur

KHARTOUM — The Acting Governor of the Darfur region, Mohamed Issa Aliyu, said that 24 people were killed in the recent tribal clashes that took place in Jebel Moon of West Darfur State.

Tribal clashes erupted in Jebel Moon on November 17 after several incidents isolated between the Arab nomads and Massalit farmers.

UNOCHA said that at least 43 people have been killed, 46 villages have been burned and looted, and an unknown number of people were injured.  While the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors reviewed the death toll to 17 people besides 12 wounded.

In a press conference held in El-Fasher, Aliyu said that 24 people were killed during the tribal clashes and 8 villages have been burned. He added a number of children are still missing and some families fled the attacks to eastern Chad while others are displaced in the region.

He pointed out that the tribal violence in Jebel Moon is the result of the insecurity in the Darfur region “due to the failure to implement the security arrangements agreed in the Juba Peace Agreement.”

He added that the lack of funding is not a viable reason to justify the non-enforcement of the security arrangements and called on the central government to say the real motive behind this failure.

In line with the peace agreement, the parties have to form a 12,000-strong joint force to protect civilians and restore stability.

The acting governor accused some people in the region of seeking to take advantage of the insecurity in Darfur to achieve their own agenda, without specifying about whom he was speaking.

Darfur governor Minni Minnawi last October appointed Aliyu as the acting governor saying he was busy with the political developments in the country.